Tribal Worldwide Philippines and Taguig City government ward off mosquitoes with The NICO Project

Jason Inocencio, May 19, 2017 | 5:57pm

TAGUIG CITY - In the Philippines, mosquitoes are a fact of life. These disgusting insects aren't just carriers of dengue, malaria and even the Zika virus, they seem to get into every nook and cranny despite our best attempts to keep them out. Over 200,000 cases of sickness caused by mosquitoes are reported annually, and although there are mosquito-control solutions, most of them are expensive.

Facing this serious dilemma, Tribal Worldwide partnered with the Taguig City government to come up with a solution that gets rid of mosquitoes while also taking advantage of a natural solution.

Tobacco plants produce nicotine to protect themselves from pests, including mosquitoes. Yes, it is that same nicotine that many find addictive in cigarettes.

Tribal Worldwide and the Taguig City government developed NICO, an ashtray which extracts the nicotine from discarded cigarette butts and turns them into an organic pesticide for free. NICO was then placed in designated smoking areas around the city of Taguig. Most had no idea that these inconspicuous ashtrays were serving another purpose on top of receiving discarded cigarette butts.

So far, the results have been amazing. NICO was able to provide free organic pesticide to schools and two neighborhoods with over 94,000 people. It received highly-effective results and will soon be launching in 26 more neighborhoods across the Metro.

As a result of the NICO project, not only are millions of pesos saved in pest control, but millions of invaluable lives are saved as well.

Tribal Worldwide Philippines and Taguig City government ward off mosquitoes with The NICO Project

Jason Inocencio, May 19, 2017 | 5:57pm

TAGUIG CITY - In the Philippines, mosquitoes are a fact of life. These disgusting insects aren't just carriers of dengue, malaria and even the Zika virus, they seem to get into every nook and cranny despite our best attempts to keep them out. Over 200,000 cases of sickness caused by mosquitoes are reported annually, and although there are mosquito-control solutions, most of them are expensive.

Facing this serious dilemma, Tribal Worldwide partnered with the Taguig City government to come up with a solution that gets rid of mosquitoes while also taking advantage of a natural solution.

Tobacco plants produce nicotine to protect themselves from pests, including mosquitoes. Yes, it is that same nicotine that many find addictive in cigarettes.

Tribal Worldwide and the Taguig City government developed NICO, an ashtray which extracts the nicotine from discarded cigarette butts and turns them into an organic pesticide for free. NICO was then placed in designated smoking areas around the city of Taguig. Most had no idea that these inconspicuous ashtrays were serving another purpose on top of receiving discarded cigarette butts.

So far, the results have been amazing. NICO was able to provide free organic pesticide to schools and two neighborhoods with over 94,000 people. It received highly-effective results and will soon be launching in 26 more neighborhoods across the Metro.

As a result of the NICO project, not only are millions of pesos saved in pest control, but millions of invaluable lives are saved as well.

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